《A-Zero》 Chapter 1: The Opening HELLO GUYS! This is a novel that has been gnawing at the back of my head for a long time now. Hopefully, you guys will like it :D Please comments as to what you think of it. [These doors never opened.] [At least they haven¡¯t opened in uhhh¡­ 10 or so years? I¡¯ve long lost the notion of time to the permanent darkness. But that didn¡¯t bother me. However, the doors¡­Why do the Zerians never open these doors? Such beautifully constructed double doors made of materials that even nobles could rarely afford. Such a waste, it was obvious that their exquisite craftsmanship can only be truly appreciated by opening them. How could they not know this! Stupid Zerians. If they won¡¯t appreciate it then I shall! Keep me here forever! See if I care.] [Suddenly I realised, I loved them, the doors. When I touch the smooth slabs of Primestone I am overwhelmed by a sense of security and peacefulness. Is this not love? In the spur of the moment I silently apologize to the door. For in the beginning I had hated them, and sought countless ways to destroy them. ¡°Please accept my apologies my dearest doors! I know that I have hurt you many times, but please, do not blame me!¡± I whispered. ¡°If only you had let me out I wouldn¡¯t have hurt you, I would¡¯ve come to love you much faster, with affection even deeper than what I hold towards you now.¡±] ¡°ARRRGHHHHHH! IT¡¯S NOT WORKING JURA. I just can¡¯t imagine writing a romance novel between you and me.¡± I complained, ¡°After all, it¡¯s been 10 or so years and you haven¡¯t even moved!¡± Jura was silent. Perhaps she was contemplating what to say. I considered it but soon ran out of patience. ¡°You know what, I¡¯m sick of it Jura. Whenever I talk to you you never respond, and you always sit so close to Dorando. I¡¯m only going to talk to Dorando now!¡± Once again, Jura was silent. ¡°Dorando, hey buddy! Long time no talk man! I was just thinking about exercise.¡± Dorando, being a gentleman, waited for me to continue instead of interrupting my train of thought. ¡°Ok so don¡¯t take this too hard, but I think you and Jura need some exercise.¡± Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Dorando was quiet. Maybe I had angered him? No. I need to push on. After all this was a matter of great importance. ¡°Now, now. Think about this rationally. You guys haven¡¯t even MOVED for the past 10 years. What do you think that does to your health huh? IT¡¯S WHY YOU GUYS ARE SO HEAVY!¡± Dorando was so shocked by this revelation that he froze solid and I could tell that Jura was now also listening to the conversation. Grinning, I continued my grand motivational speech. But just as I started again, I could feel Jura becoming disinterested. ¡°Look at me. NO JURA! LOOK AT ME! Yes, that¡¯s better.¡± After all, eye contact is extremely important when you want to get a message across. ¡°A person who is able to flatten MOUNTAINS with just his left hand and a sharpened stick, STRUGGLES to move you. Yes, you heard that right. ¡°STRUGGLES¡±. DORANDO DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS MEANS?¡° By now Dorando had probably entered a comatose state, and in fact I think Jura had just entered the ¡°frozen from shock¡± state as well, but this was no time to stop, I had to give them the final push! ¡°IT MEANS YOU GUYS ARE FAT! YOU NEED EXERCISE MY DEAR FRIENDS!¡± Dorando and Jura groaned enthusiastically in response. Yes, that¡¯s the way it shou- wait groaned? Were they going to leave? ¡°Dorando and Jura, stop that. You¡¯re scaring me guys!¡± The groaning suddenly stopped. Relief washed over me and I fell on my knees, for I had thought for a second that Dorando and Jura were going to leave me. However when I shuffled up to hug the duo, they slid away from my touch. And when I looked up I sa- Was that light? Oh right, that¡¯s what light looked like. A question, then a confirmation, then I fainted. Hello again! If you liked this story leave a comment, and if you want to follow this story directly please visit my site: https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/. There the chapters will most likely come out a little earlier than on Royal Road. :P Chapter 2: Release? ¡°Seeing light for the first time in 10 years is a scary thing. Fainting was the natural thing to do.¡±, I said to my over watcher, ¡°Trust me. Out of all the A0 prisoners, I was probably out for the shortest amount of time. Only 25 or so minutes! I can just imagine that baby Jakofry! He¡¯s supposed to be a ruthless murderer, but I bet he was out for a whole hour!¡± The guy looked annoyed. I wonder why? Probably it was because we¡¯ve been standing in this bloody dusty courtyard for 45 minutes now. Maybe I should lighten the mood? Might as well pursue this conversation. ¡°You must be scared of me now, but no worries uhhh what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Right uhhh let¡¯s say¡­Bob? Yeah Bob. Well no worries Bob, I¡¯m not planning on hurting you. I just uh, wanted to paint a good image of myself in your eyes you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Cause you¡¯re kinda the first guy that I¡¯ve met in ten years.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I mean there was Dorando back in the cell, but he was just a do-¡° ¡°Shut up, the others are arriving.¡± Bob hissed. It took a while for me to react, but I quickly shut the hell up. After all no sane man would want to piss his friend off in their first conversation. However his attitude was quite unpleasant, so I reminded myself to definitely scold him for that afterwards. Two more minutes passed and finally the sounds of footsteps approached from behind us. As the new arrivals took places beside me, I found myself unable to turn and take a look. High level movement restriction spell huh. I sighed, disappointed. Few moments later, a man who had been standing next to me without my knowledge stepped out, took five more steps forward then turned to face us. ¡°Ladies and Gentlemen, I am here today to offer you a deal. A deal so worth it, that I, without a moment¡¯s hesitation, can say that it will be the best deal you have encountered in the past ten years, six months and twenty two days.¡± The man chuckled. I laughed with him. It was a great joke and I would¡¯ve clapped as well if I hadn¡¯t been held by the restriction spell. Seeing me laugh, the man smirked and signalled for his assistant to come to him. After a bit of discussion he looked in my direction and spoke. ¡°Prisoner 145, I see you have a sense of humour. You¡¯re lucky. I like a man with a sense of humour.¡± I wasn¡¯t sure who he was talking to. Was it me? ¡°I¡¯m talking about you, short and lean. Prisoner 145.¡± I¡¯m short and lean. Must be me. ¡°Are you talking about me sir?¡± ¡°Yes Mr.145, I¡¯m talking about you. Glad to know that you have manners as well.¡± ¡°Oh yes sir! Of course! I would never dare speak impolitely to a superior!¡± Many of those standing around me snickered at my enthusiasm, but they¡¯re the dumb ones. After all I was the one who was getting cozy with the boss. ¡°Good for you 145. Since you have been so polite you get to see the contents of the deal first.¡± Saying this, he handed me a sheet of paper explaining the details. There wasn¡¯t much to read, just three short lines. [Wreck havoc in neutral district marked on the map until Zerian troops arrive on site. Make sure to keep casualties to a low unless otherwise instructed and strive to remain alive until troop arrival. If you follow these instructions and perform well, Zeria will cleanse your record of all criminal acts and cease pursuit.] Upon reading the conditions I frowned. Despite usually being a happy go lucky guy, I still recognized when something was too good to be true. Freedom in return for cause havoc, for example, sits smack bang in the middle of the ¡°too good to be true¡± territory. A really easy way to tell ¡°too good¡± apart from just ¡°good¡±, is to put yourself in the shoes of the other party. So let¡¯s see, shall we: Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! 1. Prisoner 145 is an A0 ranked prisoner capable of slaughtering the entire military force of a small nation. 2.Prisoner 145 has actually already slaughtered the entire military force of a small nation and that¡¯s why he was captured by Zeria. 3. Prisoner 145 was very, very hard to catch. 4. Prisoner 145 may turn around and attempt to kill the King. 5. Prisoner 145 will get a clean record by killing more people? Yeah. Very good for me. Very no good for Zeria people. I¡¯m happy go LUCKY, not happy go STUPID. But I don¡¯t have a choice in the matter do I? Just one look at the man and I could tell I was correct in thinking so. In fact even if it was just him and I right now on a battlefield I still wouldn¡¯t have a choice. I hadn¡¯t touched a weapon since I was 15. I¡¯m at most B rank now, and this man was no doubt a polished A1 approaching A0. Since I¡¯m gonna have to do it, I might as well be happy about it. So I signed the paper with a grin on my face and shook the man¡¯s hand as though we had just finished an intense bargaining session. ¡°Very good deal don¡¯t you think, Prisoner 145?¡± ¡°Yes sir, an outrageously good deal. You weren¡¯t even joking!¡± ¡°Hahahaha! Of course I wasn¡¯t joking. Who do you think I am?¡± ¡°Uh.¡± ¡°I¡¯m general Rhazul¡­You know, the guy who stopped thirteen out of the fifteen A-rank monster invasions single-handedly five years ago?¡± The general looked extremely proud of himself and puffed up his chest. His assistant who had been standing in perfect form until now, clapped at his magnificence. ¡°I was in jail sir.¡± ¡°oh.¡± Rhazul looked like he had been punched in the gut by an earth elementalist. I knew how he felt. Attempting to look suave and smooth only to get shot down by lowly criminals must have hurt a lot. ¡°But no worries sir, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re powerful and amazing! It¡¯s just I want to know when I¡¯m leaving and where I have to go to leave.¡± No response, Rhazul was still dazed. Was status and fame that important to this guy? ¡°Um sir? When do I leave and where do I go?¡± His eyes returned to focus but it seemed as though he was still recovering from his shock. ¡°U-uh yes, you¡¯re going today. In a few hours your will be transported via raigo carriages to the outer edges of the neutral zone. Of course you will be blindfolded and spell-bound for the trip¡­¡­.¡± Once his explanation was finished, my over-watcher loosened his binds on my movement and I became able to walk slowly. However I still couldn¡¯t identify any of the other prisoners as we walked out from behind the line and not the front. Oh well, at least I¡¯m being released. This was cause for celebration! Hello! I''m Aspiringnewbie/Beebaboop and just like last chapter, if you liked it please leave a comment! If you are inclined to do so, please visit my site: https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/. There the chapters will be released slightly faster and it''ll be easier for me to respond to your comments as I''m still new to the format of Royal Road. :D Chapter 9000: Psych! Just a Q&A HEEYYYYY BEEBABOOP YOUR HOMIE IS HERE WITH A BLAZIN DESIRE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS! POST YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT CHARACTERS, COUNTRIES, LOCATIONS AND LORE HERE AND I SHALL ANSWER THEM! IF YOU DON''T POST QUESTIONS THIS THREAD WILL FEEL AWKWARD AS HELL AND I WILL END MY SHORT LIFE. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. (Seriously though, please post questions... Please? T.T) As always visit my site: https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/ for a good time <3 and slightly earlier chapters. :D A question for RRL Readers. With the new updates for the site and so on, I wanted to know what you, as readers, would like to see in terms of layout and such. I made a post on my Wordpress site here -> https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/2016/04/21/a-question-for-rrl-frequenters/ Please leave some comments and suggestions. As always thank you guys so much for reading, and no it''s not because of fame or money, it''s because I seriously appreciate it when I open my site or open RRL and see extra views on chapters or a positive comment and/or review. I really really am indebt to you guys when it comes to the increase in my confidence in writing. I sometimes leave my page opened on the chapters forum and refresh to see who''s come to see the new chapters (Sad haha :)) and whenever I see someone I recognize I would say "Oh hey! It''s eg. Rorschach or That one guy again! I''m so glad they like what they''ve seen. Hopefully they''ll leave a comment!" and when you do, my god do I feel great. No matter what it is, positive, negative, suggestions or predictions or some straight up comedy I don''t care. Thank you guys for reading my novels. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. I want to improve the reading experience for you, and I want to write well for you. So tell me what you like, what you want to see and I''ll try my damnedest to get you what you want. That''s all, and I''ll hopefully see you next time in the forums XD Beeps Out. Chapter 7: Fifth Princess of Nozgo (New and Revamped) ¡°Are we devils?¡± asked Remilia. It was lunch time at the royal palace of Nozgo. The dining hall was massive, capable of fitting seven elephants. And yes, that¡¯s actually been proven. The King had held numerous exotic performances in this very hall, before his daughters were born of course. Oh! Was he rowdy when he was young. The nights of raunchy love-making he had at his prime were something a common man couldn¡¯t even dream of. The most beautiful of women, from any race or country. Be them human, monster, angels or goddesses he¡¯s had a taste. Certainly as a man, it was a past to be proud of. But those nights of his prime had long become a distant memory in his head. Throughout the passage of time, he had wizened and humbled. Now he sat alone with his fifth and most troublesome daughter in the peaceful sanctity of the dining hall, progressing slowly through his purposely simple lunch. ¡°Dad! I asked a question!¡± Remilia whinged, inviting a quizzical glance from the King. ¡°No Remilia. We¡¯re Demons, not Devils.¡± Teranus sighed, ¡°I believe you¡¯ve asked this question many, many times before, baby girl.¡± ¡°I know, I know¡­¡± Remilia pouted her perfect, cherry lips and toyed with an elusive noodle on her platter. ¡°But I don¡¯t buy the whole ¡®Devil has the word Evil in it¡¯ thing.¡± She said quietly. ¡°Huh.¡± The King hesitated slightly before answering his beloved daughter. ¡°What do you mean you don¡¯t buy it?¡± He laughed, ¡°It¡¯s just a cultural thing; don¡¯t think too hard upon it.¡± He patted her head and curled a cluster of red hair between his fingers before letting go. ¡°You¡¯re turning into a very charming young girl Remi.¡± He smiled wistfully, ¡°I¡¯m more worried about all the boys who¡¯re going to start chasing you everywhere, then whether we¡¯re devils or demons.¡± Giggling at her father¡¯s anxieties, Remilia gently took hold of his hand and flicked him in the palm. ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid papa, nobody believes you when you say you¡¯re just going to lie down and let the boys in.¡± She said, ¡°I bet all the princes will be scared of your presence even when you¡¯re over five hundred!¡± Teranus chuckled at his daughters quick wits and took his hand back to continue eating. ¡°Fine then! No boys until I¡¯m five hundred!¡± He laughed. ¡°I¡¯d be forty by then! Nobody would want an old hag like me!¡± ¡°Hahaha! I guess you¡¯ll just have to hope this old man dies early!¡± ¡°Never!¡± ----------------------------------------- Randel had never heard the King laugh so joyously in his entire career within the palace. But then he¡¯d only been in the palace for the past five months. But nonetheless, he felt as though he had intruded upon some rather important father and daughter time when he burst into the dining hall with urgent reports from the nightshade. Though the King was rather calm about his rowdy entrance, Randel could still see definite hints of annoyance as he handed over the letter. He feared that he would¡¯ve been punished harshly if not for the joyous content of the parcel. Or maybe not. After all, the reason Randel had considered the position as royal postman was because he had heard that the King was a wise and kind man. ¡®Very empathetic of his people¡¯ was the phrase. So perhaps he wouldn¡¯t have been punished either way. But let¡¯s not tempt fate. ¡°What excuse do you have for entering the royal dining without even so much as a knock?¡± Teranus asked. Randel bowed as low as his squeaky back would allow and replied with his head almost at his knees. ¡°Your Majesty, I apologise profusely for my misconduct. Shall I be banished from the palace?¡± He asked with tears welling in his large, round puppy eyes. ¡°Probably not.¡± Teranus answered clearly, ¡°But let us see to the contents first.¡± Randel had never been so nervous in his entire lifespan of thirty six years. But he tried his damnedest to look suave in front of the fifth princess. As he had imagined, she was ludicrously beautiful. Her burning auburn hair paired with her dichromatic eyes, crafted a look that was unmatched in all of Alexstrasia. With perfect curves and an intellect unfitting of her young age, there was no wonder as to why she¡¯s said to be the most sought after female in all of Nozgo. Her only possible flaw was perhaps she had been slightly spoiled by the King. Being the youngest child in the family, the only response she¡¯s ever heard to her requests have been ¡®whatever you¡¯d like my dear.¡¯ Or ¡®Of course my darling.¡¯ But if a man could even be considering that when faced with her perfection, they¡¯d be deemed mad without a doubt. ¡°Ms. Sinclair?¡± The King smiled as he read the paper. ¡°Yes, Father?¡± Remilia responded. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on marrying a human?¡± Teranus raised the paper before him, hiding a cheeky grin from her daughter. ¡°Well.¡± Remilia raised a delicate eyebrow, ¡°It would depend on who it is?¡± Randel was shocked. A human!? With the Princess !? Outrageous! He could think of no one suitable. Humans were puny little animals who crawled at the Demonkin¡¯s feet. It was only thanks to their kindness, that they were even allowed to mature. Now those ungrateful scums think they¡¯re the top of the food chain. Harvesting animals and destroying forests at their own decree. Even turning on the demons! How does the King even consider such a proposal!? Randel ground his teeth from where his knelt, unsure of how to respond. ¡°It cert-¡° ¡°Father.¡± Remilia cut in and gestured towards Randel, ¡°Our extremely loyal and hardworking postman has yet to be dismissed.¡± ¡°Oh but of course.¡± The King apologised and faced Randel, ¡°Thankyou for your time dear friend, you have done us great service. I apologise for not noticing earlier.¡± ¡°Is there anything you would like as a reward?¡± He asked, ¡°Perhaps a pay rise will do your family good.¡± ¡°Your majesty, you are too kind. Randel has no right to receive such rewards.¡± Randel bowed deeply and walked towards the exit, but stopped before the heavy iron doors. ¡°But if sire insists, I have only a question to ask.¡± He had to know why! He had to know why the king even considers the human! It didn¡¯t matter if he had to lose this job for it. If this question was to be left unanswered, he¡¯d be plagued for life! ¡°Go ahead Randel.¡± Teranus nodded. ¡°Why does your majesty even consider having a human marrying our princess?¡± Randel asked, his voice choking with desperation, ¡°And why does Lady Sinclair not object!¡± Remilia, stunned by this sudden burst of emotion was at a loss of words, but the King having somewhat expected this, answered calmly. ¡°Randel my friend, for the longest time Nozgo has been a nation of the past.¡± Teranus sighed. ¡°And though I¡¯ve tried to avoid this matter since I initially recognised it in my prime, I feel it has come the time to face the truth.¡± Randel gulped. He felt as though he was about to hear something incredible, a historical turning point unveiled before his very eyes. ¡°Us demons are proud creatures. And perhaps in the past we were justified in being so conceited in our thinking.¡± The King chuckled idly, ¡°But times have changed. Whether we accept it or not, the humans are now the ones in the driver¡¯s seat.¡± ¡°No amount of regret or bigotry will bring back Nozgo¡¯s glorious history. But progressive thinking will lead us forward.¡± Teranus stared deep into Randel¡¯s eyes, ¡°Our biased views against the humans must be changed. Don¡¯t you think?¡± Reluctantly, Randel nodded. Though he couldn¡¯t imagine what could initiate a reconcilement between Demons and Humans, he still recognised the sense behind the words of the King and the need for Demons to adapt. ¡°I apologise sincerely for my outburst your majesty. It was extremely rude of me to delay you further from finishing your meals.¡± He stood up and took a step back, ¡°Thank you for bearing with my foolishness, Princess Remilia as well.¡± ¡°It is rare for a demon to so quickly understand the need for change. You should be proud¡± Teranus smiled at the demon as he walked towards the exit, ¡°Oh and by the way¡­¡± This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Yes, your majesty?¡± Randel quickly swung around on his heels. ¡°The marriage proposal was merely a joke.¡± ¡°What?¡± The demon postman stood frozen in the dining hall, unsure what to do. Remilia was the first to crack and laughed mischievously at the demons reaction. Teranus soon joined in and stood up to pat him on the back. With tears of laughter in his eyes, Teranus consoled the young demon. ¡°You¡¯ve brought us great news of a human acquaintance of mine. ¡°Said Teranus as he wiped his eyes of tears, ¡°In my moment of joy, I had forgotten you were here and took a sly jab at Remilia. I¡¯m so dearly sorry for your confusion.¡± Randel stood there smiling awkwardly in the arms of his King. It was a memory he cherished till his death. To have happened upon such a moment in the royal court¡­ who would have ever imagined these turns of events. ----------------------------------------- ¡°So Papa¡­¡± Remilia growled at the old man, ¡°Why did you not tell me earlier!?¡± ¡°Ssshhhh¡­¡± Teranus whispered, ¡°Randel just left, he might still hear us! And what do you meant I didn¡¯t tell you!?¡± ¡°Old Human Acquaintance!?¡± Remilia reached across the table and pinched her father¡¯s face, ¡°You mean Restari!?¡± King Teranus the Dark, former leader of the Elite Force Nightshade, Conqueror of the Eastern deserts and Slayer of Midnight Drakes submitted to his daughter¡¯s abuse and spilled the beans. ¡°Okay! Okay!¡± He laughed, all the while rubbing his swollen cheeks ¡°Let me read the letter to you okay?¡± Remilia nodded eagerly and clasped her hands tightly between her breasts. ¡°King Teranus the Fifth, Ruler of Nozgo and forever our favourite leader.¡± Teranus chuckled, ¡°We, the nightshade are proud to inform you that your suspicions regarding the imprisonment of Mr. Restari Altra within Zeria has been confirmed.¡± He glanced at the young lady before him and smiled as she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°To further your delight for today, we have uncovered information on Zerian Operations within the neutral districts. One piece of information which we thought might be interesting to your majesty, is the release of high ranking criminals from Off-Map, maximum security military prison compound Zexar. That¡¯s the one built by the joint operation of Lasgard, Riaf, Zeria and Sinsa.¡± Teranus flipped the page then continued. ¡°We believe that Mr. Altra will have an extremely high likely hood of release in Zeria¡¯s ironically illegal operations. We also believe that the other power nations aside from Zeria have also just garnered this information recen-¡° Remilia jumped up from her seat, cutting her father off and walked hastily towards the exit. Teranus despite being interrupted, was unperturbed and continued reading, albeit slightly louder. ¡°In Nightshade¡¯s opinion, it is in Nozgo¡¯s interest to refrain from taking any actions at this stage. Though Mr. Altra is an extremely important ally of Nozgo, if the nation were to interfere at this moment of continental anxiety, it is likely that Alextrasia will enter an inter-national war unlike any before.¡± Remilia paused with her hand a mere millimetre from the handles and waited for her father to speak. ¡°So Remilia.¡± He spoke gently, asking the question that she had dreaded. ¡°Are you willing to send Nozgo and its people into war for the sake of one human?¡± Slowly she turned to face her father, and dropped to the floor, sobbing at her dilemma. Remilia was perhaps spoiled, but not unintelligent. She knew the right answer, but it was not the answer she had wanted. ¡°But father¡­ He¡­ He saved me in Krikstin.¡± Remilia choked as regret welled from within her heart, ¡°I have to save him here. H-how could I bear to be so¡­selfish?¡± ¡°I-I¡­¡± She sniffed, ¡°I love him papa.¡± Losing to the despair she leant against the metallic gates and dipped her head, causing her crimson hair to form a luscious drape before her face. The King saw his daughter so dishevelled and couldn¡¯t help but feel a pang of sorrow within his own heart at her predicament. ¡°I want to help you Remilia.¡± Teranus sighed and joined his daughter on the spotless tiled floor, ¡°But firstly we do not even know of his exact position. Secondly, there¡¯s the fact that Nozgo can¡¯t sustain a war against the humans, neither do we want to fight the humans.¡± He took her daughter into a tight embrace and leant her head into his reliable shoulders. Rocking her slowly in his lap, his expression brightened ever so slightly as he made an unknown decision and whispered to his crestfallen daughter. ¡°I¡¯m only telling you this because you¡¯re a princess and I have no choice okay?¡± He smiled sadly. Remilia looked up to her father strangely, not fully understanding what he meant. ¡°The possible locations of Restari had been narrowed down by the Nightshade to three Neutral cities.¡± He continued without explaining. ¡°The first is Pitenburg on the south west of Grandura, the second is Luxiana on the edge of the Saskazan Deserts and the final location is Brikard, the infamous dragons keep with its kilometre long dragon gates.¡± Remilia stared at her father, trying to figure out what the wise king was thinking in giving her this knowledge. ¡°Why papa?¡± She asked, her face puzzled, ¡°Why give me this knowledge knowing I can¡¯t pursue him?¡± ¡°Ms. Sinclair?¡± The old man teased. ¡°Yes, Father?¡± She answered. ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on marrying a human?¡± He asked. Remilia got off her father¡¯s lap and sat down beside him. ¡°Would I have to leave you papa?¡± She asked, leaning her head on his trustworthy shoulders. ¡°Yes¡­But I¡¯ll have Lilaia, Ariadne, Astri and Lissandra to comfort me.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Oh don¡¯t lie papa. I know I¡¯m your favourite and plus they¡¯re always away on their little trips.¡± Remilia frowned, ¡°Won¡¯t you be lonely?¡± ¡°If I ever get bored, I¡¯ll just fill this room with seven elephants again.¡± He laughed heartily. ¡°Along with some beautiful ladies of course.¡± He cheekily added, pinching Remilia¡¯s cheek softly. Pretending to be unimpressed, she quickly scooted away from Teranus, but stopped with a darkened expression. ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s better not to go.¡± She said and bit her lip. ¡°If they find out that I am royalty from Nozgo, they¡¯ll definitely drag the nation into this.¡± Teranus grimaced at his daughters sharp wits, but had an answer prepared. ¡°A citizen of Nozgo going on this quest will indeed put us in danger, much less royalty.¡± He sighed and struggled to keep his voice steady for what he said next. ¡°But¡­but a banished demon has no connections to the kingdom.¡± He finished, barely upholding his cool composure. ¡°I¡¯m sorry darling.¡± He grasped her tender hands, ¡°This is the best I can do with the Kingdom in mind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay papa.¡± She answered and glided her hands along her father¡¯s greying, but ever rigid hair. ¡°I couldn¡¯t ask for more than this.¡± She laughed weakly, an obvious attempt to lighten the mood. ¡°Don¡¯t worry for me papa.¡± She said. ¡°I promise to the gods that I¡¯ll be back.¡± ----------------------------------------- Hey guys! Beeps/Aspiringnewbie here! HOW ABOoOoOOOOUT THAT!? Two chapters in two days! BOOM. How many days has it been since the last time I did that huh? LIKE YEARS!!! Omg, I''m so hyped right now guys, you have no idea how much I loved writing this chapter. I loved it so much, it was almost sexual, but not really. Actually that''s kind of weird so I''ma stop. Anyways, for more interesting content on Logophilia and Object Sexuality, go to my website: https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/. Oh and slightly earlier chapters. Beeps out. Chapter 8: A Familiar Name (New and Revamped) Brikard was a city I had spent many months with during an adventure before my imprisonment. The cold majesty of the dragon gates served as a heart-warming reminder of good times as I surveyed the city from atop my hill. Silently, I smiled at my pitiful semantics. How unnatural of me to be so sentimental. Slowly, I turned back to the picnic blanket. The little chest of treasures left behind by Alice had been untouched, so I decided to quickly take inventory of my items. 2 light leather vests. Very tough stuff it seemed, most likely enhanced by some hidden sigils. A pair of Titanate Leggings. Unexpectedly comfortable, very good. A little cap of some sort. Very endearing. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll get me all the ladies. A pistol. Because apparently these deadly little devices had become commonplace in the past ten years. When I had first entered Zexar, the only country with ¡®pistolas¡¯ was Lasgard and to be honest, they were rather crude. Slow to fire, heavy, clunky and overall extremely unrefined. Guess I should¡¯ve expected Lasgard to progress this quickly. Sixteen Bullets. Well¡­ An elegantly engraved black steel Dagger. Now this I liked. But once again¡­Why the spider design? A fake neutral region passport. Very well made. In fact I pretty much can¡¯t tell the difference between this and my original¡­ Maybe¡­ Finally, a nice heavy coat to cover it all up. Maroon huh? Not my favourite colour, but definitely better than white. Inventory taken, I tried putting on as much gear on as I could. The remaining leather vest I folded carefully and placed into a makeshift swag I had crafted with the blanket. Lastly, the pistol and bullets¡­ Conflicted, I sighed at the weapon and stroked it like an inattentive cat. To be honest, I haven¡¯t had the best of times with these devices. They¡¯re too ruthless, cold-blooded. There¡¯s no mercy in those metallic shells, only gunpowder and lead. It made me sick to see warriors die so undignified on the battlefield, like an animal slaughtered for meat. Where does the thrill of battle go in such a fight? The god of war must be crying at this little piece of invention. But it¡¯s wrong to discriminate, so reluctantly I picked up the gun, popped the first bullet from the chamber and flipped on the safety. After satisfying myself that it had been made safe, I placed it into the swag along with the vest and closed the bag. ----------------------------------------- ¡°Line up properly people!¡± shouted a guard standing at the gate. The line of merchants and adventurers looking to enter Brikard was ridiculous. Literally thousands of people stood excitedly, chirping away at their friends and partners, overwhelmed by sight of the grand spectacle that was Brikard¡¯s Dragon Gates. I don¡¯t blame them. My initial reaction was pretty much the same. Once a person realises such grandiose things exists, they come to appreciate how small their existence is in this universe. And surprisingly, the feeling is not as negative as it connotes. Humans are submissive creatures by nature. Subject to envy, greed and lust, they may seem to be rather forward and unabashed in their method. But when faced with a greater power, something they cannot fathom, their true nature reveals itself. That¡¯s why religion exists, why dictatorship is allowed to continue. Because truthfully, humans love to have something in which they can rely on, and more importantly, lay blame on. Of course, just seeing the Brikardian Gates did not allow me to come to this epiphany. That¡¯s thanks to some rather extraordinary experiences that had happened along the way. Ordinary people aside, the merchants were taking full advantage of the bottleneck in the system, and set up exotic stalls along each sides of the queue. They worked efficiently in correspondence with the guards, so there were no complaints on the city¡¯s end, and they also brought an aesthetic to Brikard which you could see nowhere else on the continent. If I remember correctly, then this unique phenomenon was named by a distant noble, quite appropriately, as the ¡°Dragon¡¯s Tail¡±. At day, the ¡°Dragon¡¯s Tail¡± is a bustling market, filled with the liveliness of adventurers and mercenaries from around the world. A commendable sight by all means, but not very memorable. But real tourists and adventurers don¡¯t come for the day time, but rather the night. At the setting of the sun, nasty, poisonous insects tend to reign supreme on grass fields like the one on which I stood. But the merchants of Brikard are all more than ready for the onslaught. At the sound of the 8th hour bell, Merchants drop their curtains as one, with each stall having a unique colour to signify their products. And thus the night show begins. With all but their shopfront covered, the store owners quickly take out their secret weapons against the insect onslaught. Pristanite insect lamps. Insect lamps are created in multitudes of countries and their colours vary mysteriously from nation to nation, perhaps due to the difference in the chemical make-up of the Pristanite or perhaps the colours represented the nation of their origin. Either way, the array of coloured lights, scattering across the floor of the grass plains paints the image of an oasis within the wilderness, all the while protecting both the stalls and their customers from spiders and mosquitoes alike. The ground of the ¡°Tail¡± is further decorated when smaller shop owners form alliances and lay out rare and colourful carpets to protect their territory, while the bigger, more successful stalls naturally attract customers with their twinkling jewels and top-notch armoury. The whole show is then finished when at midnight, the insect lights are joined by the mellow shine of glow flies which luckily are not discouraged, but are rather attracted by the alluring shades of Pristanite. ----------------------------------------- For now, I stood within the day time line, overwhelmed by the mass of human bodies which I had forgotten with my time in prison. Vastly different from the dreamy picture I had just painted in my mind, the heat of human bodies and the mixed scents of sweat and perfume concocted a sickening brew which I was forced to taste with every breath. Thankfully, it gave me much incentive on progressing forward, preventing me from being attracted to every stall in the territory. Thus without exception, I took every opportunity to slip by distracted customers and tired adventurers. Until many, many steps later I finally found myself only a few metres from the Brikardian checkpoint. Here, the crowd here had thinned. But the amount of people was still rather impressive. However, it was enough so that I had become capable of taking a full drawn breath without retching. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Congratulating myself a little, I took time to inspect the intricate stalls that I had so far ignored. It was after all, a life time goal of many to experience the ¡°Dragons Tail¡±. ¡°Hey you there! You look like you¡¯d love some swords on that well-toned back of yours young man!¡± shouted a merchant behind me. Curious at what the man had to offer, I turned around and looked for the source of the noise. What I found was a young boy jumping and waving spastically in my direction, desperate to capture my attention. Realising I had finally noticed him, he immediately stopped his mad flailing, creating an almost comical transformation effect. Intrigued by his abnormal behaviour, I walked forward and inspected the goods. ¡°What¡¯s your main branch kiddo?¡± I asked as I placed my swag on the table. I had once been a popular patron in Brikard with saved credit in almost every known store in the town. Even in some of the more risqu¨¦ additions. But that was ten years ago, so even customer loyalty could fail to bridge this gap. ¡°Main branch¡¯s Black Kitt¡¯s Brotha!¡± He flashed a toothy grin, ¡°The best gear shop in alla Brikard I¡¯ll tell ya ser!¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± I laughed. Black Kitties¡­ Perhaps people really do get sentimental after prison, but ever since coming to the city, everything sounds like a fond memory to these ears of mine. I had a good friend at kitties; perhaps he¡¯d kept some credit in my memory. But really, to call his overpriced shop the best gear shop in Brikard¡­What a joker. ¡°Say kid, do you have a list of patrons?¡± I asked, leaning close to the table as I inspected the goods. ¡°Yessar!¡± The boy saluted and pointed to a memory stone, ¡°Bobby¡¯s got all the names in the world in this lil¡¯ rock o¡¯ mine!¡± ¡°Could you search for Mr. Rachez for me?¡± ¡°Sure thing ser!¡± I held my breath as I waited for a result, looking on expectantly at ¡®Bobby¡¯ as his fingers worked their magic on the magical pebble. Suddenly, his fingers stopped and he looked at me strangely. I knew then that my name had been long erased. ¡°Ser. I¡¯m sorry but, howdya spell ya name again?¡± The kid laughed in embarrassment and scratched his head as he bowed an apology. I quickly waved my hand and lifted his head up. There was no need to apologise. If anything his mistake had given me a new wave of hope. ¡°Rachez.¡± I said, ¡°That¡¯s R-A-C-H-E-Z.¡± ¡°R-A-C-H-E-Z ser?¡± The boy reconfirmed. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s it.¡± ¡°Alrightya ser, one patron coming right up!¡± ----------------------------------------- Bobby stood silently with his mouth agape as he read the numbers, leaving me to stand awkwardly in front of the store. ¡°Anything the matter Bob?¡± I asked, ¡°Did my name appear?¡± At the sound of my voice the kid snapped out of his delusions and came rushing to pander me in customer service. ¡°Here ser! Some drink to soothe ya throat, you¡¯ve talked too much to meself!¡± He said as he rushed around grabbing a stool and some Crassberry juice. ¡°A Cremonium Patron such as yerself mustn¡¯t by the mistakes of a plebeian like lil¡¯ Bobby!¡± I sat down on the offered chair, confused as to his sudden shift in attitude. ¡°Cremonium? What¡¯re you talking about?¡± I asked, sipping at the blood red juice before me. ¡°Ser! Ya are Mr. Kastri Rachez right?¡± He jumped excitedly. I nodded and flipped out my fake passport as proof. The boy took it eagerly. After staring intently at my identification Bobby returned the document and swung excitedly from side to side. ¡°Ya¡¯re our biggest customer Mr. Rachez! Over ten thousand in credit at Black Kitt¡¯s! It¡¯s a crazy amount ser!¡± He giggled, ¡°Are ya perhaps a noble ser?¡± His quick assumption had me laughing my heart out, but not without choking on a glass of juice first. Coughing and spitting, I leaned over and supported myself by my knees as I laughed, cried and suffocated at the same time. Bobby saw my predicament and quickly came over with water to drink and a tissue to wipe my face. When I finally came down minutes later, the crowd had formed a half-circle around Bobby¡¯s stall, curious to see what had happened to me. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to see here ya peeps!¡± Bobby shouted at the flood of investigative faces, ¡°Our customer just sucked some juice down the wrong pipe, thatall! Begone peeps!¡± At his instigation, the they slowly lost interest and returned to their rampant consumerism. Turning back to the stall, Bobby tentatively touched my shoulder. ¡°Ser? Are ya alright?¡± He asked quietly, kneeling before me to see my face. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine kid.¡± I chuckled, my face still red from embarrassment. ¡°So ser¡¯s not a noble I¡¯m guessing?¡± Bobby smiled sweetly. I nodded and pat his head. ¡°No, Ser is not a noble.¡± As the boy skipped happily around the stall and returned to his side of the shop, I took a final glance over his products then walked away with a goal in mind. When Bobby finally popped his head above the store counter and spotted me walking towards the entrance of Brikard, he shouted a lively goodbye. I looked back onto the hyper active kid and couldn¡¯t hold in a chuckle as I shouted back. ¡°I¡¯ll see you in Brikard!¡± ¡°Yes Ser!!¡± ----------------------------------------- Heyo Beeps/Aspiringnewbie here! Umm... If you''re wondering about the duel well... I''m just confused as you are. J0nn0 lives in sexy California, I live in the savage Australia. Our times are not matching to say the least. Um... I guess for now I''ll just put J0nn0''s noodle knight here? -> http://royalroadl.com/fiction/5052 <- His duel chapter will be coming up on this story. I''m just not sure when. Uh. So yeah. If you enjoyed my chapter uh. Go to my site? -> https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/ <- for a good time? <3 Leave a comment, review. Thanks for reading I guess? Uh. Beeps out? OH WAIT WAIT! Today is j0nn0''s birthday! So when you go over to his novel, leave a nice happy birthday. I''m sure he''ll appreciate it immensely. Just don''t leave me because his content is better okay? :C Bye! If you''re confused about the duel, it''s all explained here. Chapter 9: Rostar (New and Revamped) - Not Duel Black Kitties. A bizarre name for a weapons and gear shop isn¡¯t it? I think so too. In fact I have no idea why Rostar had named it so. Is it because I never asked or is it because I had forgotten? If it¡¯s the second option then jeez, I¡¯m a bad person. Do people still use ¡®jeez¡¯ these days? I wanna be hip with the kids. I mean adults. Random miscellaneous thoughts like these ran rampant in my mind as I strolled down the wide paved roads of Brikard. The city was grand, much more so than I remember. A towering cathedral marked the centre of circular metropolis; from there layers upon layers of concentric, metre high walls separated each specialty district. It was very well designed and subsequently the city looked very neat. Want delicious gourmet food? District 3, look for the blood red walls. Want some fashion clothing? District 8, look for the sky blue walls. Want armour and weapons? District 5, look for the black and gold walls. I smiled and patted the black and gold bricks for good measure. I¡¯m sure if someone had OCD, these chest-high separators would make them go red with ecstasy. ----------------------------------------- Black Kitties was exactly where I remembered it. Well not quite¡­ The shop had expanded exponentially since the last time I¡¯d visited it. The cute, little, cat lady spray paint that used to hold up the sign for Rostar¡¯s store had spread across five extra blocks. Now, a lively litter of animated kittens ran at the bottom of the wall, guiding stray customers into the expansive armour and weapons store. I guess Bobby wasn¡¯t completely lying when he said ¡°the best¡± huh. Shyly I knocked on the imposing double doors and almost immediately a girl dressed in black business attire rushed to my service and invited me into the store with a charming smile and deep bow. I nodded my thanks as I entered and discretely took note of the fact that unlike the smaller stores these attendants didn¡¯t make any attempt at selling their sexuality. How refreshing. I mean. How unlike ten years ago. As I eyed the armaments up and down for their quality my helper would constantly pace behind me in tight semi circles, checking for my size and figure, perfecting her numbers even before confirming my purchase. Impressed at her earnestness I shot her quick smile when her eyes caught mine. Oh? A blush? Guess even little old me can pull when the time is right. ¡°Sir, you have a very well built body.¡± The attendant smiled, ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but I suspect that you¡¯ve been working out as of late?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± I paused, thinking. ¡°Yeah¡­Uh¡­I had a lot of free time?¡± I said, and then laughed awkwardly. The girl frowned at my sketchy response but had enough professionalism to let it slide. Continuing from where she had left off, she asked me question upon question as though the flood gate to her inquisitive mind had been opened. Eventually I realised that the questions weren¡¯t personal inquiries, but rather data collection for my gear selection. It made me slightly disappointed, but not enough to send me into despair. At the end of the tour, my poor attendant had begun slouching in depression, muttering quietly. The amount of information I could garner and give was dismal. I apologised profusely in my head, but couldn¡¯t hold back a quiet chuckle at her cute self reprimanding. Perhaps she was a new employee? Either way, after that half an hour of navigating through the maze of racks and show cabinets I found myself at the main counter thanks to my helper¡¯s guidance. At the desk stood a familiar face and an unforgettable voice. ¡°Hello Sir, have you decided on your purchase?¡± asked Rostar, despite noting my arrival his head was still buried in a pile of paperwork. He stood tall and proud, dressed in an elegant penguin suit with an immaculately positioned, marine blue bowtie. What an image he projects¡­ ¡°Ah Shop manager, I heard you have a dragon infestation problem in this area?¡± I smiled nostalgically, ¡°I came from the adventurer¡¯s guild down at Atuan.¡± The well-dressed man froze as fond memories rushed through his head, reminding him of the glorious days of adventure. ¡°You think you could take down a frost dragon?¡± He looked up and at my face, doubting himself over and over as he ran the possibilities. ¡°You think you can afford me Rostar?¡± Identities confirmed, I laughed with relief and dragged him into a deep embrace over the counter. Rostar coughed in surprise at my intimacy, but grasped my shoulders firmly as he came to terms with my return. The girl who had guided me through the store reared back in surprise at the indescribable situation that had unravelled before her. Still relishing the touch of an old friend, I winked at her from behind Rostar¡¯s head and signalled that it was all okay. Rostar on the other hand did not take well to my attempted wooing of his employees and pinched my spine. I jumped instinctively as the shock resonated through the entirety of my body and hopped around in circles and attempted to dull the pain with quick-fire rubbing. The girl giggled at our exchange then excused herself shyly, returning dutifully to her position by the door. Rostar watched her walk out of hearing range then turned to inspect my face. ¡°Kastri is that you?¡± ¡°Y-yeah it¡¯s me.¡± I stuttered, embarrassed under his glare. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Rostar said, ¡°Ten measly years made you forget how to talk?¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡± Eager to continue the conversation in somewhere more private, Rostar checked the surroundings then opened a hidden door behind an unkempt stack of second hand clothing. When the opening was just wide enough to enter, he quickly dove in. I followed closely and shut the door behind me. As far as I could tell, we stood in a dark tunnel with walls made of solid stone. The surface was smooth and flat giving away their man-made nature, but the darkness made it difficult to discern anything further than that. Having spent that time in jail, my eyes quickly adjusted to the brightness, presumably giving me a slight edge over Rostar in navigation. However I quickly realised my stupidity as he glided his hands along the wall and an unseen row of lanterns suddenly burst into flames, leaving the tunnel without a single shadow, apart from mine and Rostar¡¯s. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. As I looked upon the mechanisms of each lamp with wonder, Rostar glanced over and shot me a smug smile. In response I acted unimpressed and shoved him jokingly, encouraging him to get moving. ----------------------------------------- While we walked down the well-lit path, Rostar chatted nonchalantly about his life since I had left Brikard. ¡°So what do you think?¡± He asked gesturing at the tunnel walls and, I assume, his shop in general. ¡°What do you mean what do I think?¡± I joked. He paused and turned around, looking at me with a serious expression. ¡°Well. I did it didn¡¯t I?¡± He patted the solid walls. ¡°I said I would make it big and ten years was all it took.¡± ¡°Ahh¡­Yes.¡± I scratched my head. ¡°I wish I could¡¯ve been here to see.¡± I said. ¡°Yes me too.¡± He replied. ¡°It¡¯s a shame you were busy.¡± We covered the rest of the way in silence. ----------------------------------------- It was only after five more minutes of walking that we arrived at the bottom of a set of stairs leading to a heavy wooden door. On it was five inscribed symbols. I watched carefully as Rostar pressed his hands on to each symbol. The first he pressed with his right, the second with his left, the third with his right, the fourth with his right again, and finally the fifth with his left. Each time his hands touched the lacquered surface of the door, the area around his fingers would glow blue. As the light intensified, a tendril of smoke covered Rostar¡¯s hand seemingly identifying his authenticity. I raised an eyebrow and nodded to myself as I observed this process. It was very impressive technology. When each of the symbols activated the door finally clicked open and revealed to us a lavishly decorated living room with doors no doubt leading to equally extravagant bedrooms and kitchens etc. ¡°You¡¯ve made it big huh?¡± I whispered in awe. ¡°Yes. Yes I have.¡± Rostar beamed in response. ¡°Now let me get you to a room so you can finally put down that hideous knapsack of yours and get some rest yeah?¡± I nodded happily. ¡°Actually I¡¯ve had plenty of rest, but I guess I should go and put this thing down.¡± At my response, Rostar gave me a quick thumbs up and guided me to a palace of a room up on the second level. When I finally got over the fact that this was in fact a bedroom, Rostar gave me a hearty punch on the shoulder and left me to have some time to myself. Feeling alone once more in the quiet room I opened my swag and let the contents fall freely into the bed. As I inspected the objects, a wave of Alice¡¯s familiar scent reminded me of my instructions. Your mission definitions are in the top right pocket of the leather vest. Huh. I quickly took of my coat and hanged it up on a nearby clothes rack. Now let¡¯s see here. Top right pocket¡­um¡­ah here. I clenched my fingers and pulled out the envelope anxiously. To my surprise it was the same envelope old man Rhazul had handed me a few hours ago. I guess this might be what he means by ¡®the right time¡¯? I could feel the envelope buzzing with energy as I inspected it back to front. Hoping for the best, I ripped it open in a swift motion and voila the contents were revealed. No energy draining bullcrap this time. As the paper dropped onto my lap it slowly unfolded itself, surprising me. Worried for the message inside, I chucked aside the envelope and quickly glazed over the letter. It read like a politician: Mr. Rachez, we are proud to inform that you have been chosen for an exclusive test program authorized by the World Health Committee. Having an A-Zero such as yourself taking part in our experiment is a huge honour and we are extremely thankful for you cooperation. Now that you are part of this program, the first rule that you must abide is that no one under any circumstance must know of your history in the past ten years. No matter how great of an experience you¡¯ve had exploring Alexstrasia¡¯s many natural wonders, we are afraid you won¡¯t be able to tell your friends about them, if you want to continue participating in this program. Knowing you, Mr. Rachez, we are confident that you will continue to participate in this program no matter the circumstances, and once again we would like to thank you for assisting us in this project. The second rule is to follow the instructions closely. This is so that our results will retain their accuracy. Failure to follow instructions will result in immediate expulsion from the program. Thank you for your understanding. Rules aside, your objective in Brikard is to purge 4000 personnel of their existential crisis and provide them relief from daily stress. Given the grand scale of this charitable task we have given you a time limit of three years. Consider this a social experiment. With that said, do your best Mr. Rachez. The world relies on you to become a better place. What the fuck? ----------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------- Hey guys BeeBaBoop here with a new chapter, if you bothered to read the title then you should have realised that this is not a duel chapter. So no votes. J0nn0 is a bit under the weather and in a writing slump, sooo I''m posting this chapter and we can maybe duel on the next one. I''ve put some pressure on J0nn0 and I feel kinda bad for it so don''t put pressure on him guys. Do as I say and not as I do right? Anyway hope you enjoyed reading, if you did please come to my website: https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/ for a good time <3 and slgihtly earlier chapters. Thankyou for reading and if you are a honourable man, leave a review and a comment. Cya :D Chapter 10: Acceptance (New and Revamped) ¡°Kastri. What do you think you¡¯ll find in the humans?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care for the humans...But I believe them to have potential.¡± ¡°Potential? More potential than us? Their Idols, their Gods!?¡± ¡°Yes. Even more potential than us.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°We are a stagnant people. We have reached the peak, but the humans still have space to grow.¡± ¡°They will never surpass us! End your traitorous thoughts.¡± ¡°A growing race has infinitely more potential than a stagnant one.¡± ¡°You stupid child. You don¡¯t understand the words you speak and the people you are part of.¡± ¡°Worry not mother. I will not help them¡­ it is not my duty. However I will observe them closely when I am banished.¡± ¡°I can still convince your father¡­ just give me a little more time. Why won¡¯t you listen!?¡± ¡°There is no need, I am my own god, I do not follow my father¡¯s ways.¡± ¡°Is this it then? Are we never to meet again my son?¡± ¡°Mother, I will be back before you notice. Treat it like a little trip.¡± ¡°Oh my child, I don¡¯t know what I expected¡­¡± ¡°What did you expect?¡± ¡°That the child of Chaos and War would listen to his mother.¡± ¡°For a God of War and Wisdom, you are unexpectedly na?ve my mother.¡± ¡°Indeed I have much to learn.¡± ¡°Good. You have more potential then.¡± ¡°Your father calls. Be good in the mortal realm.¡± ¡°I will.¡± ¡°Show your father your potential.¡± ----------------------------------------- Wow¡­ this letter¡­ it must be a joke right? The World Health Committee¡­ History of my travels¡­ Social experiment¡­ Well. If somebody else read it they¡¯d have no qualms for sure. Throwing the paper away I laughed maniacally at my disposition and lay down on the soft surface of my bed. 4000 people huh? Purged¡­ The message was roundabout, but simultaneously crystal clear. Sure wish Ka- ¡°Kastri you want a drink?¡± I snapped up at Rostar¡¯s voice and found his head poking through a crack of the door. ¡°Ah water will be fine.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got some of your favourite ginger beer?¡± ¡°No thanks hahaha¡­ I¡¯ll leave that for later.¡± For a moment Rostar frowned in disbelief, then shrugged and turned to leave. I let out a breath of relief. Ginger beer? Was that a thing? I sh- ¡°Hey sorry to interrupt again.¡± Said Kastri, his head popping out again. ¡°Yes?¡± I smiled weakly. ¡°You¡¯re not burning anything in here are you?¡± He asked, sniffing the air. ¡°No¡­?¡± I replied. Slowly I looked around for signs of fire and there in the corner of the room my mission letter was disappearing slowly, cinders on all four edges. ¡°That would be the culprit.¡± Rostar laughed pointing at the note. ¡°Oh my god, I¡¯m so sorry!¡± I rushed to the page and stamped at the little fire, but no matter how much I smothered, the letter continued to disappear slowly. The fire never dying completely. There was nothing I could do as the remaining page finally turned to ash. When the deed was done, Rostar frowned at the extensive burn marks that the page had left on the wooden floor and patted my shoulder. ¡°That was one weird note wasn¡¯t it?¡± He scoffed. Apologetic, I turned to him with puppy eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Rostar, I didn¡¯t know.¡± He waved his hand limply in response. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯ll be a cinch to fix up. ¡°He said, ¡°I probably should¡¯ve gone and gotten your water huh?¡± ----------------------------------------- Rostar and I sat in his living room reading some customer requests. It was decided that since I¡¯m going to be staying here, I might as well help out with his chores. ¡°Seventeen requests for dragon scale armour¡­and ice too!¡± Rostar grinned, ¡°These guys are just throwing money.¡± I frowned. ¡°Couldn¡¯t they just go visit Hail and ask for graveyard scales?¡±. Rostar stopped reading, stared at me for a solid while, then burst out laughing. ¡°Who do you think they are?¡± He wheezed, trying to catch a breathe in-between his laughter, ¡°They can¡¯t just rock up to Hail the Ascended and say ¡®Oh yeah bro, can I have some scales¡¯ hahaha!¡± ¡°Well they probably could.¡± I said, ¡°Hail was a pretty decent dragon if I remember him correctly, just na?ve and young.¡± Rostar frowned. ¡°What happened to your ¡®Don¡¯t trust anyone¡¯ regime you had before?¡± He chuckled, turning back to the paperwork. ¡°Be courteous and kind to everyone you meet, but be ready to kill them at any time right?¡± ¡°Uh...Y-yes¡­ but uh¡­ My journeys have changed me.¡± I smiled awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯ve gathered just the tad bit of empathy for others.¡± Rostar glanced at me once again, and then dismissed my statement with a quick ¡®pssh¡¯. ¡°Since you have such a positive opinion of Hail why don¡¯t you visit him?¡± He smirked. I shrugged, not opposed to the idea. ¡°Just as a visit or¡­?¡± I smiled slyly. Rostar feigned a kick at my stomach and looked on sourly as I dodged it smoothly. ¡°Only you would go to a dragon for a visit.¡± He pointed, ¡°Get those scales and I¡¯ll consider your living expenses paid.¡± ¡°But I have plenty of credit here?¡± I laughed. ¡°Oh Shut up.¡± ----------------------------------------- I knew the path to Hail¡¯s dungeon well. It took two weeks by foot northbound from Brikard. There stood the infamously freezing mountain ranges of ¡®Winter¡¯s Jaw¡¯, more commonly known as just plainly The Winter God¡¯s Domain. Hail the Ascended was of course not a god. But to the simple people of the north he served as both protection against larger countries and religious stability. ¡®Close enough¡¯ would be the correct terms to describe the dragon. Though not a god, Hail was by no means weak. In fact, despite being the youngest of the five ascended spirits he is usually considered part of the top three in terms of pure destructive power. Furthermore, Hail¡¯s origin as a Monarchic Ice Drake gifts him with the ability of camouflage and illusionary magics. I for one know that entirety of Winter¡¯s Jaw is a demonstration of Hail¡¯s ability of illusion. Aside from being told, there is quite literally no way to tell the difference. His illusionary magic is so extremely powerful that it guides your mind into a trance, causing a phenomenon commonly known in the north as the Mind Freeze. Every few years, a wandering straggler would stray too close to Hail¡¯s domain and end up getting trapped by his spell. Their mind bound by its power would imagine itself wandering the icescape of the district, unable to escape until their psychological self left the region as well. If I remember correctly Hail was an Ascended Spirit that we had trusted immensely. His keen objectivity coupled with a lack of empathy hit home for Kastri. We were best of allies. Why didn¡¯t Hail come to rescue us then? Well, I put no blame on the dragon. His role here by far outweighed the importance of a single human. It was merely a result of his objective reasoning in action. But you know what I am pissed off about? That I¡¯m currently exploring his freaking domain in my psyche trying to find his sorry ass, and he still hasn¡¯t come out to greet me. To be expected I guess? I was always the less liked of the two. Sighing, I stepped out of the psych-region and back into the real world. It was not safe to linger too far into the mountains; the risk of getting lost was too great. But man, Hail¡¯s magic is certainly impressive. Illusion as far as I could see ahead, endless flourishing jungle for many, many kilometres behind. The line between the two worlds was jarring, yet surprisingly natural. Little fangs of frost effectively transfer you from the dense, green Jungle into a snowy mountain ranges. Looking about I spotted a large rock right near the border of the illusion-scape and sat down to chew on a sandwich. Biting into the juicy meal Rostar had skilfully crafted, I looked away from the ice and snow to observe the jungle. A rabbit was what caught my attention. It had scurried out of its tunnel, likely seeking a quick vegetable snack. I watched closely as it wandered towards the border of the domain, prepared to help the poor thing if it ever got lost within the magic. But strangely, right before entering the snow covered land, the little animal sneezed at the border as though it had encountered a nasty smell, then proceeded to meander away. Stolen story; please report. ¡°Huh.¡± I smiled. It seems Hail hasn¡¯t changed too much. He still has a weakness for non-human critters. - ¡°You seem to understand my magic human.¡± Suddnely, a ground-trembling voice invaded my thoughts. ¡°Perhaps¡­¡± ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s someone you know?¡± I interjected. ¡°Perhaps it is.¡± It said. I smiled and took another bite from my sandwich. ¡°I guess you wish to visit me¡­filthy mortal.¡± It said, spitting out the last few syllable. I chuckled at his endearing tone. ¡°Sure, why not?¡± The voice paused before responding. ¡°I see..." It said, "Then you should probably hold on to your food.¡± ----------------------------------------- Life is usually boring, monotonous. Filled to the brim with duties and schedules. Patterns and order. People rarely ever glance away from the beaten path, let alone leave it. But there are some who are unsatisfied with conforming to standards. Thrill-seekers, they are called. The rare few who peer into the gaping jaw of death, find comfort in the reapers cradle and toy at his scythe with the naivety of a newborn child. I, am not one of those thrill seekers. I am perfectly fine with not getting the opportunity to fall down a seemingly endless hole, uncertain of my fate until the very last microsecond. But unfortunately that¡¯s exactly what I had to experience in the past two minutes. As soon as the voice gave out his warning, the rock I had been sitting upon disappeared from existence. What replaced it was a cavernous hole about five metres in radius that fell deeper than the light could reach. The initial surprise was uh¡­ upsetting to the stomach. But I¡¯m proud to inform that every scrap of what came up to my mouth went back. The no waste policy was in full swing. It was about thirty seconds in when the ever weakening glow of sunlight finally disappeared altogether and I travelled at breakneck speed in complete darkness. In those anxiety ridden seconds, the fear of accidently scraping the walls and tumbling down uncontrollably became very real. All of that eventually led up to the position I have landed in now. Head. Five centimetres. Shoulder. Six centimetres. Knees. Two centimetres. Toes. Three Centimetres. From the cold and merciless floor of the ice cavern. ¡°Oh¡­Who is this?¡± Hail¡¯s voice reverberated through the freezing air. ¡°An old friends of mine?¡± He smiled, ¡°Or simply a piece of filth?¡± I lifted my head and checked my pants for wet patches then flailed wildly mid-air for any sort of grip. I''ve spent too much time in the air¡­must¡­touch¡­ground. ¡°Disappointed once again.¡± Hail sighed and flicked his tail in my general direction. ¡°But better than expected I suppose.¡± As the force that had held me before disappeared, I fell once again, but hit the floor tumbling. Eventually I stood back up for the first time in what seemed like an eternity and took a proper inspection of the magnificent beast before me. Standing at thirty metres tall and ten metres wide, his figure resonated with his status. An armour of black veined ice covered his body, shedding a cascade of colours upon the cavern walls as they refracted the brilliant light of his bright, sapphire heart. His face was extremely handsome for a dragon. His teeth stood out with a fearsome glint, tipped with shadowed white poison. One could stare into his jaw and think they were viewing the mesmerising peaks of snow blanketed mountains. In fact, I have no doubt that the ¡®Winter¡¯s Jaw¡¯ was a name to honour his ravenous canines. His eyes, the final piece, glowed with the wise flare of empowered Fei Tsui Jade, judging those who stood beneath him. Even as an old acquaintance, I began to understand perhaps why the adventurers weren¡¯t willing to rock up with a request for graveyard scales. Hail stood before me and frowned as I looked him over. When I finished he suddenly disappeared in an explosion of mist and reappeared in a much younger form. Smaller, and much less dignified, this was the Hail I had remembered. ¡°Ten years is really a game changer huh?¡± I nodded at younger Hail. The dragon gurgled with laughter and I watched as powerful magic broiled casually in his mouth. ¡°Yes¡­Even for a dragon it seems.¡± Suddenly his eyes glinted with suspicion, ¡°Though it seems you have perhaps changed even more than I.¡± I scratched my head, thinking of a proper response. ¡°I-¡° ¡°What happened to Kastri?¡± Hail frowned, cutting me off and swiftly destroying the friendly atmosphere. ¡°I am Kastri.¡± I rebutted. Hail shook his head and smashed a nearby boulder with an infuriated swing of his tail. ¡°He suffered for you didn¡¯t he.¡± He growled. ¡°Something happened in Zeria that would have threatened your existence and he protected you.¡± I stayed silent. There was no good in talking here. ¡°Have you ever not being a burden upon him?¡± Hail vented, ¡°He sacrificed his freedom to save an utterly useless lost soul like you, yet you can still find it within yourself to accept even more charity.¡± ¡°Do you not have dignity? Moral obligations?¡±Do you have any shame?" As Hail continued his barrage of accusations he slowly reverted to the much more intimidating form of his current state. Surprisingly, the dragon stopped himself from going further. ¡°¡­Have you hated me?¡± He asked from above. His voice was calm despite his emotions. ¡°Have you ever thought that my treatment towards you was unfair?¡± I sighed and nodded. If it was the truth he wanted, then it would be the truth he gets. Ever since our first encounter, there had never been a positive exchange between us. It was inevitable that such feeling had spawned sometime or another. The dragon watched me nod and sighed a depressive sigh. ¡°I have never hated you.¡± He looked away, ¡°But Kastri was an important friend and it became obvious that you were detrimental to his wellbeing.¡± ¡°I do not blame you.¡± I mumbled. "That is too bad." The dragon said. "Because I have nothing nice left to say." ¡°Sorry to break it to you so suddenly... But in his ten years of absence, the times have begun to change and the gears of fate have begun to turn.¡± Said Hail as he wrapped his tail around him. ¡°The Ascended Spirits have all felt its approach in the air and confirmed its wicked nature. To say they only fear it, is an understatement.¡± I flinched at every word. This was no mere information. It was a command. "I''m sure you know what has to be done." He sighed. "If it comes to it, I will force your hand." I sat down on the cold floor and rubbed my hands together. I understood my purpose, and was prepared. But the cave still seemed to grow colder as Hail spoke the final words. ¡°We need Kastri to come back¡± He said. ¡°And Restari to return to sleep.¡± ----------------------------------------- Hey guys BeeBaBoop Here! The duel is on once more. I''m Proud to announce chapter 2/3 of my friendly fiesta with J0nn0. Read up and feel good. I''ll be here all da- Actually... About that... I won''t be here for the next 3 weeks. YEAH YEAH "OMG BEEPS YOU DID THIS LIKE LITERALLY FIVE WEEKS AGO" I know. But Exams are life. Deal with it. t(''.'')t Lol jokes. I won''t be here for the next three weeks because of exams, but the duel will be continuing afterwards. I''m actually kinda feeling guilty for even posting this chapter instead of studying so I''ma get off RR real quick. Read J0nn0''s Noodle Knight here -> http://royalroadl.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=73337 The poll for voting is also there as well! Have fun and pray I get good results. OR ELSE A-ZERO WILL BECOME EVEN MORE DEPRESSING THEN IT ALREADY IS. OMG As always if you want some early chaps and extra content visit my site: https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/ I promis it''ll be a good time <3[/i] A Huge Thanks and A Long (Heartfelt) Message You see recently there has been a huge influx of readers coming to my wordpress site, and I''m pretty sure you already know why as probably came to know my story through it. For those who don''t know though, it''s simple. A user by the name Fablecrusher (Tacky) left my first comprehensive review on Royal Road a few days ago. I think two. And it made it to top review and now life is good. A-Zero is blooming like a real flower guys. I want to use this opportunity of me opening a new section to send a HUGE THANKS to Mr.Fablecrusher. If A-Zero really becomes something respectable in the future, I''m sure it''ll have to do with the boost that he had provided it with these past few days. So Thank You so much Mr.Fable and I''m extremely grateful. //////////////////////////////////////////// A Follow up message: As an Author I feel obligated to provide quality content for my readers and am striving to constantly improve myself to do so. This is something I believe all writers on Royal Road feel. After experiencing the effect of a mere hundred or so words (No depreciation) on my novel I want to use this influx of readers to send a message. A message that I''m sure you have all gotten sick of by now. Writers are selfless people, especially those on royal road who provide entertainment for free. Under such a criteria perhaps even I could be included hahaha. But aside from being selfless, most writers are extreme narcissists. This is no joke. I mean it legitimately. Writers write because they seek attention, they seek self fulfillment. And when a reader responds to their work, shows their care and attention, us writers feel a wave of satisfaction. No. Perhaps a rush of ecstasy would describe it better. From my limited experience on Royal Road, I have come to realize that out of the thousands of people who may come in contact with your novels, a very limited few would comment, review, rate. Most? Not even a simple thought on the story, or question towards where the plot may be headed. Now I know for one that I act as a hypocrite when I say this. But as an Author of a small time novel, I have come to know the feeling of constant insecurity. Ever since I had begun revealing my works (if you could call them that) to the public eye, I have been infatuated with the statistics. Particularly comments, views, ratings. I didn''t care for money or fame. Perhaps it had once been in my head when I had just begun, but those thoughts have long been discarded for a constant search of recognition. I believe I''ve said this before, but when I upload a chapter I would always refresh the forum every few minutes in hopes that someone had responded with something, anything. It was like I had become a twelve year old child seeking peoples attention. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Every reader that passed without a comment was an affirmation of my doubt. There have been moments where I believed that the novel had gone astray. Perhaps the plot was uninteresting, characters bland, or even that I was just unsuited to writing. Of course now, after twenty eight chapters and couple of months on RoyalRoad I am no longer as worried about myself. My confidence has definitely been boosted by this experience. But this story is not only about me. There are many, many aspiring newbies (haha) out there who wish to test the waters of the writing field. And I cannot help but think that innumerable amounts of them might have quit due to the same feeling I had instead managed to conquer. This post is not a command, or a writer begging for comments. This post is me wanting to address something much larger than just me and my novel. I want others to know the joy of writing, and not just the disappointment of having to quit half way. Writing doesn''t have to be a job, for me and I''m sure for most on Royal Road it''s just a hobby. But it can certainly become just a job, and some people just gradually burn out and leave. You have all seen (well maybe not) the effect of a single review on A-Zero by Mr.Fablecrusher. If we could just spend a little time, 2 minutes or maybe even 5 minutes, to tell the writer you enjoy that you appreciate them. Then I believe Royal Road will soon be chock full of quality writers, not because they were born that way, but because they were encouraged to improve and so they did. Again, I want to thank Mr.Fablecrusher for the first comprehensive review on A-Zero I have ever received. I want to thank all of my readers for first, even considering my novel, then second, continuing with it. I bear no grudges against those who have not commented. There are many circumstances and this post was not intended to guilt trip those of you out there. This post is meant as a positive message so that writers on Royal Road and maybe even other website may have a brighter future. Thank you for reading. Ps. If you''re searching for a Tl;Dr. There isn''t one. This message is meant to be read as a whole, or not at all. Thank you for understanding. With that, I''m out. See you in two weeks. Chapter 11: Responsibilities (New and Revamped) (Not Duel) The human soul is finite in quantity, yet infinite in its formation. Its shape is ironically similar to that of a galaxy with a mass at the centre, their ¡°existence¡±, holding together many, many orbitals, namely ¡°their emotions¡±. Some galaxies are more erratic, others were much calmer. Khalia had seen countless souls in her comparatively minuscule lifetime of seventeen years. It was her life after all. She was a soulstress; an existence with no background, no heritage and nowhere to call home. Born from the treacherous inter-racial love between a human and a Narskian, she was an unwelcome half-caste capable of communicating with such spirits. From the beginning of her life there had never been love or tenderness. Oh she had acquaintances, certainly, but only when in need of her assistance did they greet her with honest vigour. She was at the young age of thirteen when finally she had left the village of her birth, disgusted by the two-faced nature of its inhabitants. From then on she wondered the continent of Alexstrasia, growing strong on her journey to search for an unknown past. But four years of lonesome travelling had begun to wear thin her hopes of a better future. Thoughts of connecting with her heritage had long left her mind. For now the stranded girl desperately wanted something to call her own, just a little something to hold the emotions that broiled aimlessly in her incomplete soul. Khalia looked at the menacing lights of the city before her. According to her map it was the famous Dragonkeep of Brikard, but to her it was yet another meaningless town of pain and hatred. She disliked even the idea of entering such a human cesspool, but there was no choice. Not coming into contact with humans may have been a want of magnitude, but food and water for her journey was in no doubt a need. However, as she made way towards the twinkling lights of Brikard¡¯s night market, her face grew sullen. She was still indecisive, it happens every time. For a moment she even stopped and took a step back. Perhaps a smaller town would be better, she thought. If she rationed it well, her supplies could still last the week. Standing right at the brink of retreat only a single thought pushed her forward. A single powerful thought to whom only she could relate. That perhaps¡­ ¡­Perhaps here in the heart of her enemies, she might finally find a story to call her own. Her thoughts still conflicted; she faced herself towards the city and stared at its extravagance. As the clock tower struck twelve promising a night of good food, excellent prices and unmatched bargains, an extra pair of resolved footsteps began their solemn journey towards the bustling city of Brikard. ----------------------------------------- ¡°A human is but his impact on the world around him.¡± Hail smirked, ¡°Going by that definition, you¡¯d be quite dismal.¡± I winced at the pain of his claws digging deep into my back and pat the floor in submission. He laughed heartily at my pathetic surrender then in a single elegant motion, swept himself off and back to his original stance. ¡°You¡¯ve definitely improved.¡± He said, dusting off little petals of snow that had gathered on his back with his wings. ¡°For chipping so many of my prized scales¡­you could perhaps finally pass off for an A.¡± Nodding tiredly I laid back into the snow, letting its cool touch heal the burning welts on my well- worn skin. ¡°But as the Legend you make yourself to be?¡± Hail laughed again, ¡°You¡¯ll have to try a little harder than that child.¡± ¡°Okay, okay I get it.¡± Chuckling a little, I glanced at the glimmering blade that Hail had preserved for us to duel. I was grateful for his meticulous selection. Certainly, the hefty item was a treasure trove of memories. I still remember the day I first met this weapon. ¡®It¡¯s called a sword breaker.¡¯ He had said. At the beginning of my journey, I was resistant to the idea of killing fellow humans, but having no form of self-protection was inconceivable. So as suggested I settled to master a form of combat focused around disarming and forcing surrender. It was a foolish sentiment, but somehow I had made it work. That, however, is not to say this sharpened blade had not seen its fair share of opposing blood. Smiling with the memories of a past adventure, I sat up crossed legged, placed the weapon upon my legs and made sure to face the serrated edge towards me in case Hail made any sudden moves to ¡°Test¡± my reaction. Looking at the reflection within the experienced metal, I glided my fingers along the second edge, a smooth blade. A unique weapon called for a unique set of skills. This weapon particularly was made for the purpose of lightning quick disarmament using the serrated edge. The second, sharper edge acted as an offensive tool when necessary. This combination of trap and slice had saved my life too many times to remember. It was also the manoeuvre that had initially made us famous. ¡°The Two Step¡± it was called. First, The Trap - Step in, trap your opponent¡¯s blade in serrated edge. When caught, quick step to the right, switch to stab grip, twist down. Blade Broken. Second, The Finish ¨C Crouch step left, stabilize your stance. Swipe left across abdominals. Enemy Incapacitated. ¡°It¡¯s a shame I¡¯ll never personally experience it.¡± Hail frowned. ¡°Experience what?¡± I raised an eyebrow. ¡°The infamous two step.¡± He flapped, doing his best to imitate the act, ¡°You were thinking of it just then, were you not?¡± I sighed nostalgically. ¡°Yes. The ¡°infamous¡± two step indeed.¡± ¡°You¡¯re easy to read my friend.¡± He laughed, ¡°We might have to work on that when you inevitably return from limbo.¡± ¡°Indeed we might.¡± Hail and I had discussed my plans ahead extensively while we fought and refreshed my basics. Two whole days of planning in fact, that¡¯s not counting the first day of negotiations to reach an agreement. It was a rather impressive period of alone time with a dragon most would say. I even had to go out and hunt for dinner twice, something Hail heavily opposed but fortunately couldn¡¯t stop. Finally, before I began my return trip to Brikard we decided to have a final bout to settle our differences. Unsurprisingly I had lost, but the satisfaction of chipping twenty or so of his scales, then immediately seeing his rather childish complaining was totally worth it. ¡°Hail.¡± I stood up and returned the blade to its sheath, ¡°You don¡¯t mind if I take some of the graveyard scales do you?¡± The dragon snorted at my suggestion. ¡°Of course I do.¡± He grumbled, ¡°Those are the scales of my ancestors that you¡¯re always taking without permission.¡± I chuckled. ¡°You act as though I wasn¡¯t in jail for 10 years.¡± Hail paused then grumbled back, ¡°Alright¡­Take them. Anything else before you go? Oh-virtuous-human.¡± ¡°No. No. That is all. My Oh-so-icy Overlord.¡± ----------------------------------------- Now I¡¯m not much of a nature guy, but when an over-sized pebble starts trembling really hard; that probably means something nasty is about to occur right? Right? ¡°Uh¡­¡± I gestured in Hail¡¯s general direction. ¡°Hail! I think you might want to take a look!? ¡° I glanced at Hail then back at the shivering stone to confirm its existence then suddenly ¡®SPLAT¡¯ - a huge wet slop could be heard as an unidentified mass of disturbingly viscous goo slapped into my face. I could hear Hail¡¯s voice swirling in my mind as I shook my head of its assailant and blinked the stars away. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°What is it your imbecil¡­¡± was what he seemed to say at first, quickly followed by a regretful ¡°ah.¡± ¡°What the hell!?¡± I swiped at the clear liquid as it threatened to invade every crevice of my body. ¡°I thought you were going to let me!¡± I spat out a piece of shale, and kicked at the rock in anger. ¡°Not my doing¡­¡± The reflective edges of Hail¡¯s jaw pulled up as he smiled apologetically. ¡°Then who?¡± I grimaced. Not even mentioning my current appearance, the sensation of this alien substance was utterly queasifying. Was that even a word? Heck I couldn¡¯t care less at the time. ¡°Who would even do this?¡± I asked again. Hail flapped his wing awkwardly as he responded. ¡°Maybe a recently deceased Drakoni¡­?¡± I frowned momentarily then gasped as I realised the gravity of his suggestion. The term Drakon was rarely used, but I for one knew what it meant. ¡°No way¡­¡± I shook my head, ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± Backing away from the EGG I searched frantically for any signs of newborn life, only to find its eyes locked to mine. The little animal¡¯s eyes were a startling purple. They glared at me with wisdom that a hatchling should by no means have acquired, but I could almost feel them pry deep into my mind, seeking my identity, bonding with my being. That image of omnipotence, however, was quickly shattered when finally it was done searching, yawned at the exertion and quite literally dropped into a peaceful slumber. I was released from its magic as soon as it fell to sleep, but it nonetheless left me with an unforgiving head ache. Hail watched on with a bemused smile, probably thankful that he wasn¡¯t the one to discover this cradle of responsibility. What has been done could not be undone. Whether I liked it or not this dragonling was now mine to look after. ----------------------------------------- The Drakon is less of a name or species, but more of a tier. Dragons are generally just called Dragons, well because nobody knows any better. However in actuality, there are five levels of dragons; of which Drakon is one and Ascended is another. With Hail as an example of the revered Ascended strain, the Drakon is also extremely powerful, sitting at second highest, just one level below. Most Drakons are candidates for the position of Ascended and thus have a bad relationship with Hail. That¡¯s also probably why the deceased body of a Drakon was here, a foreigner in the graveyard of the Ice Drakes. Drakoni are the females of the tier. Unlike their male counterparts they suffer immensely for their power. As I like to say, ¡°With great power, comes great offspring.¡± And thus Drakoni have the horrid fate of carrying their eggs until death. What does that mean? That means Drakoni eggs can only be hatched after the death of its mother. It¡¯s a rather depressing responsibility. ¡°Why was she here?¡± I asked anyway, the goo still dripping off my chin. ¡°What do you think?¡± Hail sighed, ¡°She was trying to get Ascended or find a place to die perhaps.¡± Gently, he picked up the heated body of the Drakon hatchling and inspected its scales. ¡°I don¡¯t blame her.¡± He looked the young dragon up and down, ¡°I would want to see my children as well, if I had any.¡± Oh right. Ascended Drakoni don¡¯t have to die upon giving birth. That¡¯s probably why she was here. ¡°I see you have grown some real empathy.¡± I smiled at the gentle giant. ¡°Well she was a real beauty you know?¡± Hail grinned royally, ¡°It was fun playing tussle before it all got serious.¡± ¡°Playing¡­tussle?¡± Hail paused. ¡°She was totally trying to seduce me.¡± ¡°Ah. I see.¡± Appalled, I snatched the little bundle of scales from his claws. ¡°So. What can you tell me about it?¡± I asked, ¡°Gender? Species? Food Preferences? Human Amicability?¡± Hail nodded and bent down to tickle the dragonlings head. ¡°You, my friend, currently have the honour of holding a Keep Drakon.¡± He smiled nonchalantly, ¡°It¡¯s a she by the way.¡± ¡°Huh. Then call it a Drakoni.¡± ¡°The official name doesn¡¯t include the female counterparts.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± ¡°She¡¯s special though.¡± Hail pointed out, ¡°Her neck scales clearly show an aptitude for magic despite Keep Dragons usually being uncultured physical beasts.¡± He opened his wings like a man would open his palms. ¡°What type? I don¡¯t know. Her mother was just rather physical.¡± ¡°Stop the jokes. You¡¯ll ruin her future with your unwashed mind.¡± Hail flapped his wings repeatedly in embarrassment at my retort, creating a chilling draft in the cavern. ¡°I have a perfectly pure mind.¡± He growled, ¡°It is you uneducated monkeys who take things in unwarranted directions.¡± I waved off the accusations and continued to ask questions. ¡°Okay, okay. What about food preferences then? Presumed growth?¡± ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a hypocrite Kastri? Asking for a young lady¡¯s prospective three sizes?¡± Hail scoffed. The baby dragon¡¯s eye lids fluttered at the mention of ¡®three sizes¡¯ but eventually returned to rest. Deciding to take no chances, we sat quietly for a few moments before returning to our conversation. ¡°Food preferences¡­ I would say caviar. Or gold.¡± He said. ¡°Caviar? Gold?¡± I frowned, ¡°That¡¯s a huge leap from one to the other Hail¡­ Are you making this up?¡± The dragon turned to face the cavern walls. ¡°Are you serious right now?¡± I sighed, ¡°I have to take care of this dragon and somehow convince him to do the same. There¡¯s no space for your jaunts Hail.¡± For a while Hail remained unmoved, but gradually he turned back and shrugged honestly. ¡°I don¡¯t know the food preferences of a Keep Dragon, though I assume it¡¯ll be high class human foods.¡± He said, ¡°Keep Dragons are usually found in vaults or dungeons guarding their treasures, so that¡¯s my best guess.¡± ¡°Really? Gold?¡± I laughed, ¡°Your best guess was a dragon that eats gold?¡± His tail twitched at my laughter, and he tried desperately to remain composed. When all was done and I had finally completed my actual task, I began my return journey home. Certainly the trip was a lot livelier with the company of a child. There was a certain joy in collecting food for the both of us during the two weeks that I relished immensely. It felt good to be back, to have a purpose again and for the first time in a long time, I embraced this feeling of contentment. ----------------------------------------- ERMERGHERD THE DROUGHT ENDS. HAVE FUN READ YOUR CHAPTER! I''M OFF TO GAMING. FINALLY THE EXAMS END!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHH WAIT FOR ME GAMESSSS!!! If you want to see more ridiculous text like this then visit my website here! ->https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/ <- I''ve recently opened a blog and maybe you might take an interest in my boring writer life :D Beeps out. Chapter 12: Youthful Naivety (Not Duel) (New and Revamped) The Slums of Riaf, 18 years Prior ¡°Get out here.¡± The little girl hiding under her bed whimpered at the man¡¯s command. She knew there was no good to come of his visit, perhaps another beating¡­or worse. ¡°Get out here Lina.¡± The man cooed, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡± The girl shuddered at his voice. ¡°No! Go away or I¡¯ll call the big brothers at Dragonic Pride!¡± She shouted desperately. ¡°Oh?¡± The man pinpointed her position in an instant and came meandering towards the rusted metal frames of her bed. Lina winced as each squeak of the floorboard came closer and closer until finally her eyes, frightened beyond comprehension, caught sight of her pursuer¡¯s pristine leather boots. With her eyes locked onto their horrifying presence, she watched as they approached slowly and stopped half meter from her safe haven. Her childish mind screamed at her to do something, anything, but her body was frozen. She was so scared. Without warning the man stuck his head under the bed, making the girl scream from surprise. He watched as she pushed herself with her tiny hands to the furthest corner. It was relishing seeing such fear at his power. At that moment, he was in ecstasy. Silently, he congratulated himself again for finding such a gem amongst the pebbles. Lina stared at the invader and tried to blink back tears that had begun to well in her eyes to no avail. She had long forgotten what it had meant to think, but her hands moved instinctively in arcane patterns, drawing line after line of mystical sigils into the dusty floor beside her. The man frowned at the strangeness of her motion. For a moment he felt a twinge of guilt, was this child so terrified that she had begun her descent into madness? Suddenly furious at himself, he lifted the bed in a single motion and threw it to a corner of the tiny room. As he turned back to face the girl, he suddenly realised the similarity between them. That he himself had been in her position many, many years ago. Sitting alone in the corner, Lina felt ever more vulnerable. She knew, oh she knew, that there would be no one to save her¡­ but why? Why did she have to go through these trials? This single question began to circle endlessly within her, putting her into a mindless trance. ¡®This is my fate¡¯, she slowly accepted. And with it, all the lights of life that should¡¯ve endowed a young child¡¯s eyes left hers. At the same time, her hands never stopped. In a small way, she took note of it and wondered why, but there was no reason to halt, so she let it continued. The man approached slowly, suddenly aware of the vicious cycle he had begun to create. All of the children he had abused, destroyed from within. Laughing maniacally he reached out for the young lady. How ironic is it that he reached this epiphany with his favourite target? The girl didn¡¯t even react as he grasped her hair and dragged her towards him. The only motion that remained within her was the constant movement of the fingers. She just kept drawing, even as her weak, mal-nourished body lay limp within the arms of her assailant. Until finally the hidden message had reached completion. ¡°I have never been more confused,¡± The man sobbed into her hair, holding her close, ¡°You do not understand¡­I-I feel this urge¡­this endless urge I need to fulfil!¡± Casting the girl away, he stood up and looked down at his dishevelled state. ¡®How filthy¡¯, he thought. His once pristine clothes were now smeared in dirt and tears. Turning to the window, he looked for his reflection. He wanted to know how he looked in this moment of enlightenment, of ultimate ascension, and relish in it. The room was silent as he stared into the window panes, searching for himself. ¡°Where am I!?¡± He scowled. He couldn¡¯t find it. Why? Why!? He investigated the pane with devilish desperation. No longer worried about the girl, but rather enthralled by the puzzle this inanimate object had presented to him. He was a high priest of the Peruse, there were no riddles in his life. Only knowledge and truth. The God of Wisdom, Peruse, had granted this upon him. Why couldn''t he see the answer!? ----------------------------------------- Lina watched, horrified by the scene before her, as the man was slowly, unknowingly, consumed by a malignant darkness that had spawned from her window pane. But her five year old mind could not care less for the nature of this misshapen existence; only that it was winning. Winning against the omnipotent man that had plagued her miniscule life. With a sobbing voice, she choked out a single sentence of encouragement to the dark cloud. ¡°You can do it darkie, you can save me.¡± The malicious shadow paused at her words, seemingly turning its non-existent eyes to her presence. With the man still half swallowed, a single blob of darkness detached itself from the main body and rolled towards the little child. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. The girl wiped away the tears that remained in her eyes and smiled as the minute representative bumped blindly into her feet. ¡°What are you?¡± She asked with a childish head-tilt and reached out to pat its inky surface. The glob of shadow accepted her pat with joy and enveloped her fingers in peace. Laughing now, the girl clasped onto her new found friend and hugged it close to her face. She didn¡¯t mind as it stuck to her, sliding discreetly further up her cheek until it came close to the rim of her ear. Her na?ve trust in the black ball, however, was quickly shattered as it lurched from her tender skin and latched, with a wet *crunch*, onto the raw flesh of her earlobe. The shock of it rendered her unconscious. It was inconceivable to her little heart that even a blob, a being without sentience, would turn to treachery and deceit. As the world faded into nothing, she finally recognized the ugly truth of this human plane. ¡®There is no good.¡¯ She whispered into the dark. ¡®There is only greater evil.¡± ----------------------------------------- Brikard ¨C Present Day ¡°What are we going to do with you?¡± I sighed. The little dragoness purred, lazily grinding her premature scales on my lap. ¡°Kuri¡­ This is a serious problem.¡± Pinching her cherubic wings, I picked her up and placed her before me. Confused by the sudden displacement, she tilted her head innocently, beckoning an explanation with those charming, purple eyes. I laughed, unable of defending such na?ve cuteness. ¡°You want to know why there¡¯s a problem?¡± I raised my hand. ¡°Head butt for yes, Tail slap for no.¡± Kuri pondered the decision for a while, then bumped my hand heartily with her perfectly palm-sized head. ¡°Well the problem is that you¡¯re too big.¡± I teased. Apparently offended, Kuri reared up on her hind legs and gently scraped a stubby claw across my nose before falling back down. ¡°It¡¯s the truth though.¡± I defended, ¡°Normal people can¡¯t accept being close to a dragon you know?¡± Already bored of the conversation, Kuri bit playfully at a finger of mine that had strayed too close. I sighed again and shook her off gently. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try putting you in the bag again.¡± At the mention of ¡°bag¡± Kuri suddenly sprung up and retreated three metres, growling at the inanimate object. ¡°Come on¡­We have to do this!¡± ¡°Grrr¡­.¡± ¡°Come back here!¡± ----------------------------------------- We wasted at least half an hour running in circles¡­ I-i¡¯m ashamed as a parent. I lay spent on the soft grassy meadow enjoying the view of Brikard at day. From this position I once again came to appreciate the impeccable positioning of this grand city. Cloudless Blue skies and shifting emerald plains enshrouded the fortress in an almost fantastical aura. It gave off a feeling of utopia. Glancing sideways, I noticed Kuri had also begun her daily nap wrapped around the swordbreaker. Initially, I had thought the practice was dangerous, but apparently the act comforted her immensely. Something to hold while sleeping¡­ I guess children are all the same, no matter where they come from. Suddenly I became curious as to how tightly she held the sword and rolled towards the baby dragon. I first checked that Kuri was asleep, and then grasped the handle of my weapon. ¡°Holy¡­¡± My jaw dropped as I lifted the sword from the ground and the dragon stayed stuck like glue. Feeling ever more interested, I tested further with a light swing, then another, then another, then another, until finally I had confirmed, puffing from the exercise, that she was not coming off without excessive use of force. Experiment concluded, I carefully placed the sword back down and stood back to inspect it. As I crossed my arms to think, an idea slowly crept upon me. A sheath¡­ ----------------------------------------- Uh hey... Beebaboop here. With a new chapter. Sorry that it''s shorter than usual, I''m realllyyyy sorry. After exams, I hit a writers block, and started to avoid any form of work... And unfortunately I related work with anything that required thinking so writing was included T.T I''ll work hard to repent, but exams are coming again soon... Sigh... For more Depressive message like these come to my site: https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/ I promise you''ll have a good time <3 And with that- Beeps Out... Chapter 13: Box of Chocolates (New and Revamped) I¡¯d never tried to use a dragonling as a sword sheath before. In fact I doubt anyone has had the audacity to try such a ridiculous thing. Surprisingly though, the journey had so far been smooth. Kuri was in one of her rare behaving moods, which was a miracle in itself, and despite walking through a crowd of a thousand people, not a hint of suspicion had come our way. ¡°We¡¯re nearly there now¡­¡± I spoke under my breath, soothing my young accomplice. I sped up a little, anxious to get out of public eyes. Every step was a step closer to salvation, every step wa- ¡°Hey! You there!¡± shouted a weighty shopkeeper who I could only assume to be one of Rostar¡¯s rivals in this district. ¡°You¡¯ve got a fine looking sword sheath young man, I could spot its high tier craftsmanship from a mile away.¡± Turning to face him I smiled shakily at his compliment. He approached with surprising speed for someone of his build. ¡°Ah¡­Sorry sir, but this sheath is not for sale." The man paused in his advance, before casting my refusal aside with a confident grunt. ¡°Sorcery I tell you!¡± He said. ¡°Here¡¯s a lesson for you my son.¡± He grinned as he stopped before me. ¡°Everything is for sale! You just have to find the right price! Now let me have a glance at that beauty.¡± I hastily retreated a few steps, guarding the sheath carefully with my right hand. Thoughts of murder and blackmail glanced my mind, but I knew that it was far too risky. With me being cornered and time running out. I mustered my courage into a last ditch effort and threw out an age old clich¨¦ for cover. ¡°This sheath was given to me by my deceased father.¡± I lied, working up some fake tears to add to the drama. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry sir, but he had ordered me at his deathbed not to allow others near it.¡± The man gulped, rubbing his chest slowly as he consumed my timely lie. Did it work? Was it enough to deter an obviously keen-eyed businessman? ¡°My god¡­ Oh Peruse forgive me. I apologise sincerely.¡± Suddenly, genuine tears welled into his eyes. ¡°A young man like you with so much to look forward to doesn¡¯t deserve to go through such hardships.¡± I was flabbergasted. The excuse was goddamn super effective! And so a hour passed where the shop keeper and I exchanged experiences real and fake with unrestrained waterworks from our eyes. When the time was up I had even grown an attachment to the sentimental man. Perhaps in my moment of panic I had over-exaggerated the threat he posed towards me. Perhaps all the people in this new decade are nice. Wait no. There was that one prison guard wasn¡¯t there? I laughed quietly to myself as I compared the Brikard of now to memories of Zexar. How much did I miss out on during my time out? I was curious to know. But it was a depressing train of thought and perhaps it was better not to dwell upon it. For now it was better to concentrate on the task at hand. ¡°Who would¡¯ve known a clich¨¦ lie like that would¡¯ve worked Ay Kuri?¡± I whispered and reached for the little beast. ¡°Kuri?¡± ----------------------------------------- What rowdy, uncultured people. Was Lisha''s first thoughts as she strolled through the crowded food district of Brikard. It was suffocating to even stand next to the brutes. So much so that every once in a while she would step away from the centre of the street just to catch some air away from the plebeians. Oh! And of course, admire the wonderful orderliness of the district walls. They were divine! Such cleanliness, such perfect height! It fulfilled every wish and want of her completionist nature. If not for the people, this trip might even have been worth it. Sighing, she moved skilfully back to the centre of the street, careful not to let a single commoner touch her newly acquired dress. It was made of the finest Puriskan Spider Silk of Lasgard. Which in turn meant it was the finest silk in the world. Obviously. If one of these uncultured brutes ¡°accidentally¡± tore just a single frill on her dress, not even a life time of servitude could pay off their debt. So she thought of herself as rather kind in avoiding them. She was just trying to look after the poor after all. Having convinced herself that she was in fact a wonderful person, Lisha suddenly felt a need to be charitable. Perhaps there was a beggar, some slum-dog here that needed a little help? Oh she could do with some life-debts, in fact it must be great to have someone be in debt to her. And for life! Just imagine the fame she would acquire! Oh my! Just the thought made her blush. ¡°The Heroine, The Lady, The Philanthropist. Lisha Blackhart! ¡± She whispered excitedly to herself. There must be someone in need nearby! She may be here on duty, but the investigation could surely wait till tomorrow. Today was the day Lisha became famous, and nobody was going to tell her otherwise. But right as she was about to race in search of victims in need, a delicate tap on her shoulder soothed her raging enthusiasm. ¡°Excuse me.¡± said a smug, yet dignified voice behind her. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Lisha turned around with barely concealed annoyance dancing on her face. She just really wanted to save some people right now and distractions were really not appreciated. ¡°What do you want girl?¡± She retorted. The stranger was hooded and indisbutably over-dressed for the warm spring of the Lower North. Not a single glimpse of skin was left uncovered for the public to see, but despite that, Lisha could definitely tell that it was a she. The voice, of course, gave away the first clue, but it was the elegant curves that emanated from her over-sized cape that really told the story. ¡°What do I want?¡± The hooded girl returned sarcastically. ¡°I think it¡¯s you who¡¯ll be wanting something back.¡± Lisha frowned and tilted her head. "What is it that you think you have?" She asked. In the face of her question, the girl stuck out a seamlessly gloved hand and gestured discreetly for her money. Lisha however, had a different idea. ¡°I¡¯m not sure you understand how business works girl.¡± She growled, no longer the classy lady of before. ¡°But in the educated crowd, we tend to show our offerings first.¡± The girl shrugged and retorted calmly. ¡°Do the educated crowd know that people can snatch things from your hand?¡± Lisha was appalled. ¡°Why of-¡° ¡°Okay. Fine.¡± The girl cut her off and pulled out a metallic object from deep within her cape. ¡°Here it is.¡± She sighed, dangling it from her hand ¡°Your¡­thing.¡± A gasp of surprise escaped Lisha as she patted herself up and down for her custom-made pistola. How in hell did this girl get her hands on them? ¡°Where did you find them?¡± She asked the girl, certain that there was no way she had just ¡®lost them¡¯. ¡°I ¡®found¡¯ them on a little thief walking by.¡° ¡°How-¡­No never mind.¡± Lisha sighed. ¡°Excuse my manners before¡­ What is your name, young lady?¡± ¡°My name is none of your business.¡± The girl snorted. ¡°and I¡¯d be glad if you could stop wasting my time.¡± Ignoring her harsh words, Lisha pushed forwards, determined to remain civil. It had been ingrained within her at the military to stay calm no matter what and though she had already snapped once, she was not going to let this girl get the better of her again. ¡°My name is Lisha. Lisha Blackhart.¡± She smiled gently, ¡°May I have the honour of knowing your name?¡± Lisha could almost feel the girl rolling her eyes at the question, but she would not give up. Taking control of the conversation is the number one rule in interrogation. And though this wasn¡¯t strictly an interrogation, Lisha banked on the fact that conversations also involved speaking and thus are basically the same thing. ¡°No you may not have the honour.¡± ¡°Please? All I want is your name!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Just because.¡± ¡°Pretty please?¡± ¡°No!¡± "PLEASE!" "NO!" Lisha crumbled. It was not like her training at all. How could she ¡°save¡± people if she couldn¡¯t even convince a little girl to tell her name? Kneeling on the verge of tears, she looked up at the monstrous teenager with pleading eyes. ¡°I¡¯m begging you¡­ Just tell me your name.¡± "You don''t understand..." The girl muttered, gnawing over a thought. "Look if I tell you my name will you go away?" "Yes." Lisha sobbed, "I''ll do anything." The girl kneeled reluctantly to Lisha''s height, revealing a lock of silvery white hair as the hood fluttered with her movement. Without warning, She placed one hand on her chest and the other over Lisha¡¯s forehead, leaving it there until some magical act had finished. The moment of intimacy did not last long, but despite its strangeness, Lisha couldn¡¯t help but feel much closer to the unique girl. It was as though they had suddenly become friends of many years, without ever having met before. ¡°What did you do?¡± Lisha asked, rubbing her forehead slowly. Lasgard was a country at the forefront of technology, but never once had she heard of something like this. ¡°I did nothing but introduce myself.¡± The girl stood up and smiled weakly. ¡°In the way of the old.¡± Lisha frowned. ¡°But I don-¡° She paused. From underneath the raging thoughts of her mind, suddenly a name began to appear. Kha¡­Khastri? No. Of course not. It must be Kha- something¡­ ¡°Khalia?¡± She whispered. The girl sighed. ¡°Nice to meet you too Lisha.¡± ----------------------------------------- Hey Beeps here! Mama used to tell me that life was a box of chocolates, you never knew what you were gonna get. Thanks for reading this chapter! Hope you enjoyed. If you want more inspirational quotes, head to my site: https://aspiringnewbie.wordpress.com/ I promise you''ll have a great time <3 Ps. Don''t run into traffic when playing pokemon go! Don''t want any of my readers dying now. hehehe. Beeps out!